With Saturday’s home opener against Austin Peay on deck, the 9th-ranked Tennessee football team took Haslam Field Tuesday morning to begin on-field prep for the in-state matchup.
The Vols and Governors square off at 5 p.m. ET inside Neyland Stadium for UT’s first home game since Week 10 of the 2022 campaign.
Coming off a 49-13 neutral site triumph last week against Virginia in Nashville, Tennessee’s young players remain eager for the opportunity to play in UT’s riverside gridiron cathedral.
Twenty-four newcomers saw their first action in Orange & White at Nissan Stadium, and many more look to make their debuts and seize opportunities inside Neyland Stadium donning the “Artful Dodger” Smokey Grey uniforms this weekend.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks spoke on returning to Neyland and the value of live game reps for Tennessee’s players as the staff continues to develop its roster, which includes back-to-back elite signing classes.
“I think every rep is valuable,” Banks said during Tuesday’s media availability. “Obviously, it was great playing in Nissan Stadium, but getting a chance to get back to Neyland is something that everybody is fired up for. Obviously, Austin Peay is coming in here, (a program) that we have a great deal of respect for. People that are in our state, a lot of players from this state are on that team. We know we’re going to have our hands full just to defend these guys and play at the level that we need to play at.”
One player that has seized opportunity this fall is redshirt senior offensive lineman Ollie Lane, who grew up 20 miles from Neyland Stadium in Corryton, Tennessee. The Gibbs High School product made his sixth career start for the Vols and first at center in the season opener, playing 48 clean snaps and helping the Vols pile up 287 rushing yards on the afternoon.
“It means a lot,” Lane said. “I think this was career start number six for me, so it means a lot every time I get that opportunity to go out there and not only represent the T, but to represent my hometown of Corryton as well. All of them that have supported me to get to that point are still a huge impact in my life. Any time you get to wear the Orange and White as a kid that grew up watching the Orange and White, it’s an honor and privilege to be able to do it.”
Full transcript of Banks’ and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle‘s press conference can be viewed below, along with select quotes from senior defensive lineman Tyler Baron, Lane, redshirt senior offensive lineman John Campbell Jr. and junior defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Sept. 5, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
On what he took from seeing his defense on the field for the first time…
“I thought, number one, the guys were excited to play. Obviously, we had a good camp, but it was obviously a long camp. We had kind of been building this thing for a while, just the overall excitement. I thought the overall intensity that is required to play great defense was there. I thought the guys were really intent on doing their job and straining. Third, it was great to be able to get multiple guys opportunities on the field. Every rep is so valuable. Those reps that some of those younger guys got we believe will pay great dividends later.”
On what he thought about Elijah Herring and Arion Carter’s performances…
“I thought it was good. Like I said, number one just getting good healthy reps. For AC (Arion Carter), his first collegiate game opportunity, just like any freshman, there are some things that we know he’ll continue to grow in and get better at. Just having an opportunity to see him fly around was great. As far as Elijah goes, he obviously played some football for us last year. Just to see his growth and his maturity on display, we’re really pleased with what they did Saturday.”
On the pass rush against Virginia and how he would rate the communication among the defense…
“Communication, I thought it was great. I thought the guys, for the most part, did a really good job communicating sets, backfield, down and distance, all the situational communications that’s necessary. I thought our guys were great in that regard. To sit here and say we didn’t have any busts, I’ve never coached a game that way. I’m hoping. There were some things obviously we need to do better from a communication standpoint. I thought overall it was great. As far as the pass rush goes, that’s obviously been an area of emphasis for us since we’ve gotten here. We feel like we’ve got some young guys that are quickly developing at a high rate and obviously some guys that have been here who continue to grow in that role as well. We’re no means a finished product, but we definitely like the start that we had last Saturday.”
On how Tyler Baron is different this year…
“I think it’s just, like I tell anyone, being healthy. Tyler is healthy. He’s always had the potential to be one of the elite players in this conference. Having the chance to keep him healthy is job number one for us and for him as well. I think as long as he stays healthy and stays with the mindset and the intent that he has, we expect him to have a tremendous season for us moving forward.”
On what he saw from James Pearce Jr….
“Obviously we’re very confident in James. His growth has been great for us. We saw it last year, him starting to make some strides and make some even better strides through the spring. We’re not surprised with the display he put on this weekend. Just like I told him, I tell you the same, nobody cares after the first game. You got to continue to put it on tape week in and week out. It’s not just him but everybody on the defense. We’re excited about him, that’s why we recruited him. He’s a great kid who’s only going to get better and I think he’ll be the first one to tell you that.”
On how big the Austin Peay game is for players like Arion Carter and Elijah Herring and what they bring to the table individually…
“I think every rep is valuable. Obviously, it was great playing in Nissan Stadium, but getting a chance to get back to Neyland is something that everybody is fired up for. Obviously, Austin Peay is coming in here, (a program) that we have a great deal of respect for. People that are in our state, a lot of players from this state are on that team. We know we’re going to have our hands full just to defend these guys and play at the level that we need to play at.
“As far as Arion (Carter) and Elijah (Herring) and what they bring to the table individually. I would say with AC, just his sheer athleticism. You guys know the story, obviously a running back in high school, started trending as a linebacker late in his career. He’s still learning, but just his overall athleticism, his ball awareness are things that are hard to teach. We think that as he continues to get reps, he continues to develop, he has the chance to be a really good player in this league. As far as Elijah goes, he’s a classic MIKE backer. He got great size for the position (and) he’s extremely physical. As he continues to learn the position, we saw flashes of it Saturday, just the growth in terms of knowing what they expect and being in the right places at the right time. Just his overall size that he brings to the position, particularly with some of the pressures that we run, we like to think that we have a chance to win versus some of the backs that we’ll see.”
On what he saw specifically from Keenan Pili…
“Just everything that he brought to practice since he’s been here. Just great leadership, communication, which we talked about earlier. Just having the ability to command the defense. Just making sure the front is where it needs to be, communicating with (Aaron) Beasley, making sure that everybody is where they need to be at all times is the number one thing. Just his overall physicality with the size that he has. You want big guys, but obviously in this day and age they have to be able to function in space and he’s able to do those things for us. We’re very pleased with what he brought, just his overall toughness and smarts and communication skills. We’re excited for him.”
On the second group of safeties that went in the game…
“We try to play a bunch of guys, it’s kind of been our mantra. We’re going to play some great defense here. We’re going to recruit at a high level. The more guys that we can get out to play, the better it is for our program moving forward. We had a chance to get a couple of more guys in. I think Dre (Andre Turrentine) got some reps. I think we got Jourdan Thomas some reps and we’ll continue to move in that direction. It’s a long season, it’s a tough conference so the more we can get guys opportunities to play the better it is for us. We love Wes (Wesley Walker) obviously, we love Tank (Jaylen McCollough) and what those guys bring to the table and even T-Mac (Tamarion McDonald), at the end of the day to ask those guys to play 100 snaps per game is not in our best interest. We recruited these guys for a reason, we’re developing these guys for a reason, as long as they continue to show it in practice, we’re going to get those guys in the game.”
On what Will Brooks brings to the table…
“Will has been very consistent for us since I’ve been here quite honestly. He’s played both safety positions, he’s played the STAR position for us, he’s a guy we trust. We know exactly what we’re going to get when we put him in a game. He’s going to execute the call to the best of his ability. That really is what we look for as coaches. Definitely want guys to be able to make plays, but before you make a play you got to make sure you’re not giving up plays. That’s definitely what he brings, that’s one of his strengths. It was great to get him in there and he did not disappoint.”
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Joey Halzle
On the short passing game against Virginia…
“We’ve liked to use that to kind of get stuff going and get the tempo started with that when we’re off-tempo. Thought we executed it really well. I feel like we have even more left out there that we can extend those plays from five to six to seven and eight yards and maybe stay out of a couple third downs using the short and intermediate game. I thought we executed it pretty well, but we can be better in our efficiency of that.”
On Joe Milton III’s performance in the season opener…
“His eyes were in a great spot the entire time. They brought a bunch of a different looks, and he never wavered in where his eye discipline was, which is why you saw him complete over 70 percent of his passes in the first game. He looked really good, confident and comfortable in the pocket. He had a couple of really good scrambles for us up and out and pulling off the run game. His handling of the offense and efficiency within the pocket was at a really high level. Just like always, as you play in the first game your feet can get sloppy from time to time as your mind is going to other stuff. Cleaning up that so we make sure we can maintain that level of efficiency that he had.”
On why Joe Milton III did not push the ball down the field as much as he usually does…
“They were playing really soft. We threw about five balls over the top; we didn’t hit all of them but hit some of them. He played really well. He took what they gave him and was not just naturally trying to say, ‘alright, I’m throwing this deep.’ He didn’t have any of those type of plays. When they were soft, he dropped it down, got outside and got to his second and third reads. The first touchdown he threw was to his fourth read. It was really great to see him operate like that.”
On if Joe Milton III emphasizing the short game was something you have to mature into as a quarterback…
“I think it is, because we all know that’s what opens other things up down the field. There’s a maturity to it, and we’ve talked about what he’s put in and invested into this with his eye discipline. When you know where you’re supposed to be and the timing you’re supposed to be on and when it’s not there, it’s much easier to get to the next one. If your eyes are all over the place trying to figure out what’s going on or where you’re supposed to be, now it’s hard to get to two, three and four, because now you’re just trying to find who the appropriate one is. All of that we’ve talked about since we came back here in January and February, you saw play out with his decision making on Saturday.”
On the run game performance against Virginia…
“I thought the run game was really well. The guys up front playing a bunch of different spots, they blocked it well and targeted it well. We had a bunch of different front structures on Saturday and the guys did a great job and never blinked. The tight ends were a big part of that too, cleaning up and being really physical in the running game. You watch those backs in any kind of space is scary for a lot of people. All of them that got in there ran really hard and ran really well.”
On if he notices a difference in the velocity and touch of Joe Milton III’s passes…
“We’ve worked on that all offseason. There are different types of throws to make. When you’re working something over the middle of the field, you’re probably touching something up into windows if you’re on time. The other day, if Squirrel (White) ran that hook on the far opposite sideline, he’d let that thing go with a vapor trail off the back of it. You get those type of throws still, and the one that he touched up to Ramel (Keyton) coming across the middle when we hit the big play off the second and long. That got us going. He touched that up right over the top of the backer and dropped it in the bucket right there. There’s a multitude of throws that a quarterback has to play. That’s what you’re seeing Joe do is he’s playing the game like a quarterback at a really high level and not a thrower. He’s a quarterback that knows how to touch the ball up, knows how to use his arm strength when he needs it. He knows how to dial it back to touch a ball up and be on time.”
On if there is an ideal snap count for Nico Iamaleava in a game like this and how important those reps are…
“Any kind of action that a freshman can get is hugely beneficial. One is just to take the field in front of that many people, calm your nerves down and trust your eyes. Sometimes, you call a play, and you don’t remember what the play is and it’s like, ‘wait, what is that?’ Getting that adrenaline spike and calming yourself back down is huge. Going against these guys this week, you’re going to get a multitude of pressures and coverages, and it’s going to be great for everyone to see that. That’s a huge eye discipline game. For whether he’s an older backup or a younger guy coming in for his first couple of snaps, it’s a huge game for him to have to define his eyes.”
On what makes Joe Milton an effective runner and how his running game makes him a more dynamic player…
“Once again, it goes back to what we said about overall quarterback play, he’s extremely defined with his eyes and he’s pulling it down to run when it makes sense in the pass game, and he’s pulling it in the run game when it also makes sense. He’s not forcing anything. He’s not saying, ‘alright, I’m going to run this one.’ It’s like, ‘well the defense isn’t giving me a run so I’m going to keep pulling my fake out and letting our backs go for 10 yards a pop.’ Now they’d come around tight and here he comes around the corner. With what makes him effective, a 240-pound guy running 4.5’s is super effective. Him getting around the corner can’t be a ton of fun for a lot of people to see coming at them.”
On how the production of the running game this weekend helped Joe Milton and the rest of the offense…
“Anytime you can run the ball with that type of efficiency, it just opens everything back up for you. Not that you’re going to force feed it to try to get it that way, but they had the hot hand early. Those backs were hitting everything with great tempo, and when the hole presented itself, they were hitting that thing like a ton of bricks. They were fun to watch. They were really easy to keep feeding the lob to and they were taking us all the way down the field with big play after big play in the running game.”
On what the wide receiver corps needs to do going forward in order to have success…
“A lot of it is just settling in. You have an older receiving core but it’s a lot of guys that are making their first true starting experience the entire way through a season. It’s just settling in and taking what they’re given, just like what we said with the quarterback, not feeling like you have to go rush it and go make the big play right now. Like man, get your depths, understand your reads, be in the right spot and then everything else tales care of itself because the athleticism, all that, it’s all there, so they don’t have to press to do anything. If they are just playing within the system and how they’re supposed to, their athleticism will take over.”
On Dont’e Thorton’s performance in his first game with UT…
“Starting off with Dont’e, I think whenever someone makes their first start or first true real game experience in this kind of offense, no matter how many scrimmages or anything you do, it’s just different. So, getting him settled in and going, you saw him get the ball, like some quick touches in his hand right now to just get him going in that first game was what we were expecting to do. He took the top off a couple plays. He could’ve gotten a couple (but) we weren’t to his side for whatever reason, sometimes games just roll that way.”
On what the running backs and passing game did for the offense this weekend…
“The backs, not to just keep repeating the same answer, but I think you’re seeing Joe getting from one to two to three really well and that’s why you’re seeing the backs get a bunch of catches back there. It’s not just one and I’m out or one two and I’m out. It’s get to that back, get it to the third guy, protections holding up great, get all the way through it, because you try in the run game to get your back in a bunch of space, that’s the whole goal. Well, if you’re throwing to the back he’s typically in space so you’re just already getting to what you’re trying to do in the run game anyway. We saw a bunch of big plays. Jabari had a big one, Jaylen had a big one and Dylan had a touchdown all in the passing game, too. It was great to see us operate that way.”
On how Joe Milton’s stiff arm worked out for them this weekend…
“Pretty good. If he did it a second earlier, he probably goes in and scores. But like I said, that’s a big strong dude who just took that guy and planted him into the ground which was pretty cool.”
On Nico Iamaleava’s and Joe Milton’s interactions during the game…
“Well, I’m up top on game day, but Nico is awesome with Joe. He’s talking about what he sees. As soon as Joe comes out and Nico comes in, he doesn’t zone out, he’s watching and talking about what he saw coming off the field and helping each other. The two of them are always together. Joe has been a huge help to him and bringing him along to this point. I think that’s why you’re also seeing Nico do everything he can to help Joe when he’s the one out there on the field because it’s hard to see everything from that position.”
Senior DL Tyler Baron
On how he has changed as a player from last year…
“Just the natural growth that goes with getting older, getting better technique and being healthy. I’m just feeling really good right now, and my body is in a really good place. I just look to maintain that.”
On how gratifying his two pass rushes on Saturday were…
“It’s awesome. The coaches do a really good job teaching us how to balance and keep good rush lanes. I think the whole defensive line did a really good job as a unit. I think we saw some of the fruit, but we can still improve.”
On the chemistry between James Pearce Jr. and himself…
“Not to just single me and James out, but really the whole defensive line, you see it with everybody. Omarr Norman-Lott, Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason, it’s just a group effort. You can see, like you said, that one person helps the next. Pressure up the middle may help James off the edge, versus someone else off the edge or having someone on the inside. We’re just trying to have great chemistry as an entire unit.”
RS-Senior OL Ollie Lane
On what it meant to start for Tennessee on Saturday as a Knoxville native…
“It means a lot. I think this was career start number six for me, so it means a lot every time I get that opportunity to go out there and not only represent the T, but to represent my hometown of Corryton as well. All of them that have supported me to get to that point are still a huge impact in my life. Any time you get to wear the Orange and White as a kid that grew up watching the Orange and White, it’s an honor and privilege to be able to do it.”
On if things changed when he made the move to center during camp…
“I was looking forward to earning that starting spot at guard and worked a lot towards that, but also throughout my entire career in high school and college, center has been second nature to me. It’s something that I’ve always had to play. It wasn’t too much of an adjustment, and more or less just taking more of those reps that I had previously before and honing in on the technique and stuff that goes into that position. Coach Elarbee did a great job of helping me with that. Having great centers in the room with Parker (Ball) and Cooper (Mays) being able to help me too in areas where they can see more that I’m not necessarily seeing every single day.”
On if Cooper Mays gave him any advice before the Virginia game…
“Cooper has been there in my ear ever since I’ve been taking up more of the center reps. He’s a great leader and a great captain for this team and offensive line. What he told me Saturday was to just go out there and play, be me and play my game. That gave me all the confidence I had to go play that game.”
RS-Senior OL John Campbell Jr.
On his viral block against Virginia…
“It was a big play that we were working on all week, and actually, it was a look that we never had before, so the coaches were really surprised with that. I was just trying to make a play, the same way the defender is trying to make it to the league. I am just trying to go out there and give my all for the team. I just make plays like I said I was going to do, so I am just going to keep making plays for the team.”
On the changes coming to Tennessee…
“It is just a bigger stage. Even in here, all these cameras and the interviews, the production and all of that, it is just a bigger stage. All the fans and people who are die-hard for this. There are really die-hard fans here everywhere I walk around, people are saying ‘We love Tennessee.’ [If] you have a Tennessee shirt on, somebody is going to come up to you and try to talk to you and try to love on you because you are wearing that orange. I just want to ride for that orange.”
On the running back room’s success in the season opener…
“That was crazy. Just making a block, opening up, and you just see a running back right on your hip pocket at the right time. Just seeing that was crazy. We have three good backs, and even more. Like (Cameron Seldon), other freshmen, we have a lot of running backs that can play right now. It’s great to see them go out there and eat. We have dogs in the backfield, real sharks back there. I love them, and I already know they’ve got my back just like I have theirs.”
Junior DL Omarr Norman-Lott
On why he chose Tennessee…
“I will say the community surrounding Tennessee, the opportunity to play in the SEC and just get a new look on life, with me never being on the East Coast or in the South ever. For me just being from California, being a west coast kid, just something new, an opportunity.”
On what he’s seen from Tennessee’s defense…
“I’m going to say the team, I think our will to win. I’ve never been around people, like it’s a culture, a winning culture. The belief that we’re going to win, and then defense, just our strain to get to the ball. We are just more attacking, more and more attack defense I would say … Coming here was more like getting off the ball, going on the attack. I would say that’s something I really like about this defense, is our will to attack and then get to the ball.”
On his relationship with Omari Thomas…
“He’s helped me a lot, honestly. When I’m not too sure as far as like early in camp, spring camp, he helped me a lot when I just wasn’t too sure with where to be, as far as alignment and just learning the defense. I would say he helped me a lot, just being comfortable with the defense.”
(TENNESSEE ATHLETICS)
Comments